


Golden Leash, Gladiator Crown

by lovetelit



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Gladiators, Angst, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Pining, some violence, will edit these tags as i go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 23:49:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13798935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetelit/pseuds/lovetelit
Summary: Kyungsoo lived with one device— to execute revenge on his mother’s killer, and being a gladiator was the closest way to doing it.But Jongin came and immediately became a distraction. There were so many things Kyungsoo should do for his mother, and developing feelings for an alien was definitely not part of it.





	Golden Leash, Gladiator Crown

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is a new chaptered fic that I came up with, and it’s something that’s been brewing in my head for a while now! I’ll try to keep updates constant but no promises cos I literally suck. I’ll try not to make the ends of chapters too cliffhanger though, if that helps hehe. 
> 
> ALSO yes, this was very much inspired by Thor Ragnarok. Taika Watiti is my god.
> 
> Either way, I haven’t written Kadi for a while! This should be fun. Enjoy reading!!

He could hear the stomps even now, if he tried. The march of the devil, was what he had thought at the time. There was so little room he could hide in, trembling in fear as the treads of death continued outside his home. His mother stared at him from across the room, eyes wide, fingers clutching her dress in trepidation. If he knew those were their last moments, he would have tried to smile.

But it was too late. The door banged open, echoing through his small home, and he knew, by the resigned shiver of his mother’s lips; that it was all over. 

His mother fell onto the ground right in front of him, blood dripping her dress red. The beautiful white dress, tainted with crimson. Her body stabbed by the guard’s sword, as if she meant nothing. He clutched his hands in anger, ready to strike out, not caring if he died today. Anger made him stupid. It had always been a flaw.

A hand gripped his feet— his mother’s— shaking as she pointed to a direction behind him. _The back door_ , he thought, looking back at her with tears in his eyes. She couldn’t possibly expect him to leave her like this?

Oh, but she did. The last moments before she died was spent to look at him, begging him with her eyes to stay alive. 

So he did. Begrudgingly, he sneaked out to the back, running out the door and far, far away from the village, not caring if he had to run through burning forests and loose bandits. His mother wanted him to stay alive. 

And he will. 

Exacting revenge will just be another bonus that came with it.

 

 

 

The town of Pax was buzzed with excitement. Kyungsoo could feel it even through his thick tunic, guarded further with the fur armour he got from the local merchant. The townspeople, or perhaps towns _aliens_ , crowded the streets with cheer, equipped with swords, hammers and guns of all kinds. Today, was audition day.

He pulled the hood up on his fur coat, slipping through the crowds quietly, never getting noticed. It wasn’t hard. Kyungsoo was no eye-catcher, and his small build only helped that. Plus, the aliens in this town sure were more vibrant, more colourful, more striking than he was. Being a human had its benefits. 

The busy alien at the front desk barely gave him a second look as he registered his name. He was given a number, then ushered inside without so much more than a glance. 

Inside, Kyungsoo finally let the hood fall. It would be a long day, he was sure of it. The paper in his hands showed the number ‘112’. He was pretty early, considering the crowd outside. He was again ushered to a waiting room, the door holding a placard that said ‘100-200’. He took a deep breath, before shoving the door open. 

Metal chairs lined up the whole room. There were eleven other aliens in the room with him, all anxiously waiting in their seats, and only looked up to Kyungsoo for a second, before doing a double-take. Then, the whispers began. Kyungsoo was used to it. Humans were rare in this planet. Hard not to be rare when aliens invaded the planet and colonized every country, but he tried not to get too angry about it. Well, not to every alien at least. 

“Hey, you’re a human right?” The alien beside him asked as soon as Kyungsoo took a seat. He had almost yellow skin that glowed a little as he looked at Kyungsoo curiously. His eyes were a striking icy blue, clashing with his skin tone, leaving Kyungsoo slightly unsettled. 

“Yeah,” he murmured, straightening slightly in his seat, “I’m Kyungsoo.”

“Baekhyun,” the alien replied with a grin. His teeth were _way_ too white, “nerve-wrecking isn’t it— this place?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo was slightly surprised the alien didn’t try to degrade his attempt at being here. Aliens had powers, humans did not. It was this simple conclusion that made aliens rule the planet, and also, the job market, particularly the gladiator world.

Gladiators were worshipped upon, sort of like what humans had in singers or actors. They were celebrities, treated like God by anybody, and these auditions were the only chance of him making it into the world. Only two of thousands of sign-ups would be chosen. Two in this whole country. 

Besides, Kyungsoo couldn’t see a better way of getting revenge than being worshipped upon by masses. Getting power, meeting the people who are in charge, being acquainted to them. 

Then, finding the king and killing him. 

These auditions carry the gravity of the world with it, and Kyungsoo was not going to fail them. 

“How hard do you think it’ll be?” Baekhyun’s question cut through Kyungsoo’s thoughts, teeth still blinding, eyes still disturbingly icy. 

“I don’t know, but I predict we’d have to give our all.”

“Humans never make it, you know?” Baekhyun said, and _there it was_. The discriminating comment Kyungsoo was waiting for. Pity, Baekhyun really seemed like a bright kid. Figuratively, and literally. 

“Well then, say hello to the first human who will.” Kyungsoo replied coldly, eyes meeting Baekhyun’s and holding the stare. The slightest quiver of those blue eyes told a lot, and it was enough to satisfy Kyungsoo. Baekhyun looked away with a cough, the low apology heard but not acknowledged. Kyungsoo stared at the screen buzzing the current number that was facing through auditions. 

112\. This might take a while. 

 

 

 

Kyungsoo had always dreamt of walking through the doors of the arena, hearing the screams for his name, chanted through the whole crowd. Screams for him fuelled only by the fact of how strong he was, how amazing this _human_ was, how dangerous he was. 

That was all he thought about as he walked through the auditioning room’s door. There was a screen to his right, a metal wall to his left, and a huge monster in front of him. A wolf, four times the size of a normal one, eyes red with murder and growls poisoned with intent to kill. Kyungsoo glanced at the screen, thinking of a banner of his name that huge, and a lowly alien holding it up for him to see. He chuckled, the imagination enough of a motivation as he ran towards the huge wolf with a low growl of his own. Poisoned with the thirst for blood. 

The wolf put up a fight— of course it did. Probably was trained to kill by the aliens, but Kyungsoo’s need for murder was stronger. Avoiding the wolf’s paws, he headed straight for his back, so blinded with adrenaline and the need for revenge that everything almost became unclear to him. 

Kyungsoo grabbed the wolf by his ears, pulling his head down as he dropped to the ground, elbowing it in it’s forehead as a sign for it to obey, but it still tried to wriggle away, paws lashing out at him. 

Kyungsoo groaned when one lashing hit him on his knees, but didn’t let it deter him as he kicked the wolf’s snout, the wolf stunned by his strength that it was rendered immobile for a second.

And that second was all Kyungsoo needed. The rip of the wolf’s head was a sickening sound, but the blood it drenched him in was _so satisfying_. 

Kyungsoo glanced at the screen, quirking a brow as he smirked. The whole screen turned green, the words ‘PASS’ flashing rapidly. Kyungsoo grinned at his own triumph, pushing his blood streaked hair back as he walked to the door. An alien usher greeted him immediately, giving him a towel and guiding him towards a secluded room filled with plush velvet chairs and red wine. 

A lone alien sat in the middle of all the luxuries, hair pink and braided around his head, lips upturned in glee as he took in Kyungsoo’s form. His tongue was that of a snake, and his arms had scales on them, a pastel shade of peach. 

“Do Kyungsoo, am I right?” The alien said, mischief lacing his voice as he spoke, “That was impressive, what you did in there.”

“Thank you,” he said gruffly. Was this the other successor of the auditions? Or was this just an alien part of the gladiator organisation?

“Usually you don’t really pass till the committee decides who was most entertaining. Being a gladiator means the most entertaining kill after all,” the alien continued, undeterred by Kyungsoo’s obvious discomfort, “but _you_ , you’re a human, with the strength that could double an alien’s! I’ve never seen that in my lifetime.”

“I train a lot,” he shrugged, narrowing his eyes when the alien neared him, “who are you anyway?”

“How rude of me to forget introductions towards a future star,” The alien smirked, his boots clacking against the pristine marble floor when he walked even nearer, “I’m Kim Jongdae, CEO of The Arena that you will be fighting at. Welcome to the world of gladiators, Do Kyungsoo.”

Jongdae offered a hand, and Kyungsoo only stared at him in shock, blinking rapidly as he tried to comprehend the words he had just heard. Jongdae’s snicker made him jolt, and he finally shook the offered hand, trying to calm the excitement buzzing under his skin. 

The day has finally come. This was it. _This was it, Mother._

Kyungsoo was finally a gladiator, and one step closer to avenging his mother’s death.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! 
> 
> If you want to contact me, I’m on twitter as @lovetelit ! Thank you for reading! <3


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